Chapter 13 | Reptus

When the last bell rang, a wave of high school students poured out of their classrooms, their conversations filled with both relief and disappointment. "Damn, I got three questions wrong," one boy lamented, shaking his head.

"Haha, I think I did great," his friend replied, smirking confidently.

Kaito walked out of physics class with a calm mind, his steps smooth and measured. The test had gone easily for him, barely requiring his full attention. As he made his way through the crowd of students, one of the girls accidentally grazed his sore shoulder. He flinched involuntarily at the pain that pierced his arm but quickly hid the discomfort by making a calm face.

"I'm sorry, Kaito! I didn't mean to," she said with a concerned look.

"It's okay," the boy replied, his voice steady. "It's nothing."

She nodded, then turned the conversation to something else. "So, which one did you get?"

"The fifth," he answered without hesitation.

Her face brightened. "I have the same one! What did you answer to the eighth and ninth questions?"

Kaito thought for a moment. "The eighth one is -18.2, and the ninth one."

She breathed a sigh of relief, visibly relaxed. "Oh, great, I got the same thing. Thanks, Kaito."

"Anytime," he said and smiled at her before they parted ways.

Kaito almost always had the highest test scores, so his classmates often asked him for the correct answers. His knowledge rarely failed him, and the guys could trust him.

Once outside, He headed to his sleek black car, a gift from his late parents, and drove to the doctor's office. The trip wasn't long, and soon he was sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor.

The doctor entered, his expression professionally neutral. After a thorough examination, he looked at Kaito with a mixture of surprise and approval. "Your regeneration is remarkable, Kaito. At this rate, you'll be fully recovered by next week, maybe sooner."

Kaito felt a wave of relief wash over him. "That's good to hear, doctor. Thank you."

Finished with his examination, He headed for the hospital exit, a weight of worries lifted off his shoulders. The drive home was peaceful, the streets of Tokyo buzzing with familiar energy.

When he arrived, he decided to take his time, allowing himself the rare luxury of resting. He knew how important it was to let his body fully recover before diving back into the fray. After a quick shower and a change into comfortable clothes, he settled on the couch in front of the huge television, ready to relax.

Starting up the console, he contacted Anthony and Hideo, and soon the trio was immersed in a game together, their laughter and jokes filling the room. Kaito treasured these moments, realizing that while he had many important responsibilities, sometimes it was worth giving himself time to relax and enjoy life.

A month later.

In a small dimly lit room sat 4 men and 1 boy. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, some were stretching, some were on their phones, and some were thinking about something. The light hum of a crowd of masked people seeped through the thin walls.

In the corner sat silently a man with a quirk that turned him into a lizard-like creature. His skin was a mosaic of green and brown scales, and his eyes were sharp and reptilian. He nervously jerked his foot up and down, holding a smartphone in his hands, which he was actively using.

One of the men, tall and thin, with a thoughtful expression on his face, motioned to the lizard-like man. He bent down to pick up a sweater that had been carelessly tossed on the bench. In doing so, his hand accidentally grazed the lizard man's leg.

The reaction was immediate and explosive. "What the hell, man! Why the fuck are you touching me?" - Lizard Man growled, his voice harsh and aggressive.

"Calm down, it was just an accident," replied the man, raising his hands in a calming gesture.

"An accident? Just tell me to take my foot off, why the hell are you touching me, you bastard!" - Snarled the Lizard Man, his eyes flashing with rage.

"Calm down, psycho," he muttered under his breath, and you could hear the disappointment in his tone as he turned to leave the room.

But Lizard Man wasn't done yet. "Get out of here, you piece of shit! If you come back, you'll be licking the dirt off the floor with your face!" - he shouted after the retreating figure, and his words hung in the air like a poisonous cloud.

The door closed behind him, and the room fell into a thick, oppressive silence. The remaining men exchanged anxious glances, fearful of provoking another outburst of the Lizard Man's anger, which seemed ready to erupt at the slightest provocation.

Kaito sat calmly on the bench, watching the tense scene that had just unfolded. Leaning slightly to his right, he addressed the man sitting next to him softly. "What's wrong with him?" - He asked, nodding towards the Lizard Man.

Thoth sighed and leaned closer, speaking softly. "He's always been aggressive. Tonight is his last fight. If he loses, he'll be suspended."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "What's his fight number?"

"Seven," the man replied.

"I have the same one," the boy grinned.

The man laughed a little "Haha, lucky you have an opponent."

Kaito shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't care if it's a madman or whatever."

They exchanged a few more words, and the conversation flowed easily. Kaito found the man to be straightforward and judicious, a stark contrast to the fickle Lizard Man.

After a few minutes, he stood up, stretching his legs. "I'm next," he said with a note of determination in his eyes.

"Good luck," Kaito said with a nod of encouragement.

"Thanks," he replied with an appreciative smile and headed for the door.

Kaito watched as the second man followed suit, and with their departure, the tension in the room only grew thicker. He leaned back against the wall, taking a moment to mentally prepare for the upcoming fight. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with the anticipation of the battles to come.

Breaking the silence, the Lizard Man suddenly turned to Kaito. "Kid, what's your number?"

"Seven," Kaito replied calmly, his voice steady.

The Lizard Man let out a sigh of relief, clearly seeing Kaito as an easy target. This realization amused Kaito, who knew his unassuming appearance often led others to underestimate him.

Three minutes later, a commentator's voice echoed around the room, announcing that there would be a pair with number 7. The lizard man adjusted his shoe first and then left the room with a sharp, quick step. Kaito, more relaxed, rose from the bench and walked leisurely toward the octagon.

In the hall, Anthony, Hideo, and another boy watched intently as Kaito made his way to the arena. The crowd buzzed with excitement and anticipation.

The first to be introduced was the Lizard Man. "Reptus! Thirteen wins, six losses, four early victories!" The crowd roared as Reptus entered the Octagon with a series of special moves, playing to the audience's enthusiasm.

Then the commentator introduced Kaito. "And now, 'Invincible'! Seven wins, zero losses, and seven early victories! A young talent on the rise!"

As Kaito entered the Octagon, the Lizard Man's face darkened. He clearly hadn't expected the boy to have such an impressive record.

The gong sounded, heralding the start of the bout. Kaito steadily took the center of the ring, his presence commanding and confident. His eyes began to glow with a red glow, a manifestation of the power of his quirk.

Reptus moved forward, landing a series of aggressive blows, but Kaito easily dodged them, his movements smooth and precise. He threw quick, sharp blows at Reptus' unprotected body parts, and each strike was precisely on target.

Feeling the pressure, Reptus began to retreat, defending himself with punches. He threw three quick jabs, but Kaito dodged the first two and blocked the third. Quickly counterattacking, Kaito landed two powerful punches to Reptus' head, causing him to collapse on his ass.

Opening his arms, Kaito looked down at his opponent with a confident smile, deciding not to pursue. Reptus jumped to his feet, visibly staggering and nervous. The smile continued, clearly enjoying himself, but it was not from an equal fight.

Lowering his arms in a burst of self-confidence, he invited Reptus to strike. Seizing the opportunity, the opponent landed a straight punch to the head. Encouraged, he unleashed a flurry of punches, but they were easily dodged, movements almost playful.

Then, a crushing uppercut delivered with flawless precision sent Reptus to the ground. Crawling to the ring bars, The lizard-guy tried desperately to get to his feet.

Turning to the audience, the crowd erupted in cheers, mesmerized by the display of superior skills and dominance.

Shifting his gaze to the Reptus, who was rummaging around in his boot, he pulled out a syringe and quickly injected it into his neck. Eyes narrowed, Kaito quietly thought, "Finally." He had seen this coming. In the locker room, he noticed that the opponent adjusting something in his shoe, and from a convenient angle, he could make out a flask of liquid. He knew immediately what it was.

The transformation began almost instantly. Reptus's body swelled, muscles enlarged, bones shifted, and no longer resembled a human. Now a full-fledged lizard over two and a half meters tall, with tough, scaly skin and a massive, powerful tail adorned with deadly spikes.

Demeanor changing, becoming serious. This was no longer just a duel, but a true test of abilities.

The Lizard Man let out a guttural cry, and one of the spikes from his tail flew toward him. Reacting lightning fast, he dodged and caught the spike flying straight into his chest. Noticing a viscous liquid oozing from the end of the spike, clearly poison.

Thoughts raced. He had to be careful now. The lizard-man was stronger and more dangerous than before. But he was ready.

The spectators held their breath, the atmosphere heated with anticipation. Gripping the spike tighter, eyes fixed on the opponent. This was the real challenge awaited.

The Lizard Man lunged furiously, movements wild and uncontrollable. Swiftly lunging to the left, dodging the blow, he crashed into the net, tearing it open with powerful arms. Gaze shifted back, the rage in his eyes unabated, and lunged again. This time dodging to the right, narrowly avoiding a tail strike and ducking to the ground. At that moment, the Lizard fired three giant needles. Somersaulting, deftly avoiding the threat.

Enraged, the Reptus swung his arm, further damaging the octagon's mesh. His body began to glow with faint red lights that turned into a bright, fiery aura. Energy enveloped him, signaling the full activation of his quirk. As the Reptus prepared to make another dash, anticipating the movement, he lunged towards him.

The lizard swung wide, but Kaito managed to land a lightning-fast blow to his stomach. The force of the blow sent the Lizard reeling backward, and if it weren't for the netting, he would have flown outside the arena. Kaito took advantage of the moment and jumped towards the opponent's head. His opponent tried to grab him, but he grabbed his shoulder and lifted himself up, standing upright on his hands, and then delivered a powerful leg kick to the head.

He didn't lift himself just because of his physical strength, but a second quirk, telekinesis, helped him make such a move. From the beginning, Kaito had undergone medical examinations to understand the unique structure of his brain. His parents had given him great genes - his body was stronger and more resilient than the average person's. But their greatest gift was the brain, it had a more complex structure that allowed them to recover quickly, process information incredibly fast, and withstand tremendous strain.

The most significant feature of his brain was in the prefrontal cortex: two areas inherited from his parents. But in Kaito's case, they had acquired unique properties. He could generate two energies: a red energy that amplified various aspects, and an invisible one with telekinetic properties. He could barely lift even a pencil, but over the past month, he had made significant progress in mastering the amplification energy. By concentrating on the part of his brain responsible for telekinesis, he greatly enhanced its properties.

Kaito landed on his feet and leaped to deliver a powerful kick to Reptus' head, knocking him to the ground. Reptus was thrown aside but managed to unleash a barrage of eleven spikes at him. Kaito deftly caught each of them and threw them to the floor.

Kaito then approached the Reptus and delivered a swift kick to his stomach that sent him to his knee. Grabbing him by the collarbone with one hand, Kaito unleashed a series of six swift blows to his face. Green blood splattered, staining boy's knuckles and covering the lizard's face. Kaito finally let go of him and collapsed to the ground, his skull deformed from the incessant blows.

The commentator's voice echoed around the arena, "What a match, in a desperate situation Reptus used the drug to become an incredible monster, but the young talent once again showed his incredible abilities with another victory. The winner of the match is Invincible! Eight wins, zero losses, eight early victories!"

As five medics ran into the arena to examine the fallen Lizard Man, Kaito calmly stepped out of the octagon, his demeanor calm and his aura back to normal. The crowd cheered his victory and the demonstration of his extraordinary strength and skill.